Nick PT Barnum Coming Up Empty

Updated on June 26, 2014

Deeper Shade Serial Killer

It was several days since the young prostitute was choked and stabbed. O’Brien had been carrying that image around with the weight of the Bridgeport Police department on his back. Every stone he turned came up empty. The license plate number he got from Cruz also came up empty. It belonged to a stolen vehicle. It just seemed that every time he got something tangible, it turned up empty. He also knew that the days were bleeding without any fresh leads.

"Nick Barnum!" he shouted.

"At your service big guy."

He turned to see Nick standing behind him with a big smile on his face.

"Don’t tell me I willed you over here?"

"Of course not," he smiled. "I came by to visit with Cruz and Fuentes."

"Did Cruz call you?"

"No, that’s why I came by."

O’Brien hesitated.

"What is it big guy?"

"Come into my office."

Nick followed him into the small office down the hall.

"Sit."

"Don’t I get a treat?"

"This is serious Nick."

Nick Barnum sat on O’Brien’s desk.

"Are you comfortable?"

"Oh yeah."

"We have a serial killer killing whores and Johns."

"I was reading that in the Post."

"The latest was a young girl. He choked and stabbed her to death."

"Oh God."

He nodded.

"Do you have any leads?"

"Turned up empty."

"You want me to poke around to see if I can get you some fresh leads?"

"That yes, but nothing else!"

A teenager who meandered down the hallway to avoid uniforms was now pressed against O’Brien’s door with a uniform shouting at him to shut the fuck up and keep still for the body search.

"Would you take that shit out of here?" O’Brien shouted.

The uniform shoved the teenager down the hallway and away from O’Brien’s office.

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